Light socket



May 22, 1934. R WHITE 1,95,652

LIGHT SOCKET Original Filed May 11, 1927 3 SheetsSheet l hzsm May 22, 1934. J R, n- 11,959,652

' LIGHT SOCKET Original Filed May 11, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Patented May 22, 1934 PATENT oFFicE LIGHT SOCKET John a. White, Fort Smith, Ark.

Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 190,533, May 11, 1927. This application January 2,1934, Serial N0. 704,917

1 Claim. 01'. 1'73356) This invention relates to a socket for an electric light bulb, the general object of the invention being to provide means for preventing the bulb being removed from the socket after it has 7 been put in place and thus preventing theft of the bulb, such means permitting the bulb to have free turning movement when an attempt is made to remove the bulb from the socket.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby access can be had to the socket engaging part of the bulb by breaking the globe of the bulb so that the bulb can be removed from the socket and a new one substituted.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

2 In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

a Figure 1 is an elevation showing the improved socket with a bulb therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view of a modification.

In these views, 1 indicates the body of the socket which is provided with the usual cap 2 which is attached to the body by the bolts 3. A shell 5 is rotatably arranged in the body by having a central opening in its upper end which receives a rounded projection 6 depending from the top of the body, with a disk 7 of insulating material holding the shell in position. The disk is supported through means of the bolt 8 passing through the shell and the top part of the body,

with its upper end extending into a recess 9 formed in the top part of the body. A spring contact 10 is carried by the upper end of the bolt and a spring contact 11 is carried by the top part of the body and extends into the recess.

The switch arm is shown at 12 and is connected with the usual switch key so that by turning the key, the arm will bridge the contacts and thus .50 electrically connect the bolt 8 with the terminal 13 to which one of the conductors 14 is connected. The other conductor 15 is connected to a bolt 1'7 which passes through the top of the body and has its head in engagement with the top of the shell 5. A coiled spring 18 is carried by the lower end of the bolt 8 and is adapted to engage the center contact 19 of the bulb.

The shell is formed with the threads 20 for receiving the threaded part of the bulb and a small tongue 21 is formed on the lower end of the shell for engaging the small piece of lead 22 on the threaded part of the bulb which connects one of the wires of the bulb to the threaded part. Spring tongues 23 are formed in the top of the shell by cutting the metal thereof, as shown in 6 Figures 3 and 4, and these tongues are so arranged that they will engage the head of the bolt 17 when the bulb is screwed into the socket and thus prevent rotary movement of the shell in one direction, but permitting it to rotate in an opposite direction. The engagement of the lead 22 by the tongue 21 will cause the shell to move with the bulb when an attempt is made to unscrew the bulb from the socket.

A sleeve 24 is slidably mounted on the lower end of the body 1 and is adapted to be engaged by the globe of the bulb so that this sleeve will prevent access to the interior part of the body until the globe is broken, when the sleeve can be removed and then the shell can be held while the screw threaded part of the bulb is turned to unscrew it from the socket.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention will prevent a bulb being removed from its socket, for when an attempt is made to unscrew the bulb from the socket, the shell will turn with the bulb, and during this turning movement, the spring fingers 23 will be depressed by the bolt 17 so that they can pass under the bolt. These fingers will have their ends engage the bolt head, however, when the parts are turned in an opposite direction and thus hold the shell stationary when the bulb is being screwed into the same. The frictional engagement of the threaded part of the bulb with the shell will cause the shell to rotate with the bulb when an attempt is made to unscrew the bulb from the socket, but to provide positive means for causing this turning movement of the shell with the bulb, I provide the spring tongue 21 for engaging the lead 22.

In the modification shown in Figure 5, the shell is attached to a plug 25 by the long bolt 8' and this plug is provided with threads for engaging the threads 26 of the socket casing 27. This arrangement forms a combination plug and socket to be used in ordinary light globe sockets now in use. In other respects, this form of the device is similar to that before described though the sleeve 24 is shown as provided with a lining to prevent it from getting too hot.

With this invention, it will be seen that after a lamp bulb is put in place, it is impossible to remove it until the globe of the lamp is broken. When this globe is broken, the sleeve can be removed so that the shell can be grasped and prevented from moving while the screw threaded part of the bulb is being unscrewed from the socket. It will also be seen that when an attempt is made to remove the bulb, it will rotate freely with the shell so that there is no danger of breaking the connections or damaging the parts of the bulb.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:-

A holder for an electric light bulb comprising a body, a shell of inverted cup shape, means for rotatably connecting the top of the shell with the body, said shell having a threaded portion for receiving the threaded part of a bulb, spring tongues formed on the top of the shell by cutting the metal forming the top of the shell and bending the tongues upwardly to form ratchet members, a bolt forming a terminal carried by the body and having a projecting portion in the path of the ratchet members whereby the tongues will pass under said projection when the shell is being rotated in one direction, but will engage the projection and prevent rotary movement of the shell in an opposite direction and a sleeve having limited sliding movement on the holder and resting upon the globe of the bulb which holds it on the holder, whereby when the globe is broken, the sleeve can be removed to permit access to the shell.

JNO. R. WHITE. 

